Gloom Hands

Maren's Tip

Stock up on Hearty meals before boss fights — a single Hearty Durian dish gives full recovery plus bonus hearts. Don't forget to save!

Description

Five writhing hands of pure Gloom that emerge from the ground. They relentlessly chase Link and drain his maximum hearts on contact. One of the most feared encounters in the game.

Weakness

Gloom Hands's primary weakness is Ranged attacks from elevation, bomb arrows, destroy all five simultaneously.

How to Beat Gloom Hands

1. Gloom Hands are among the most feared encounters in Tears of the Kingdom — five writhing hands of pure Gloom that emerge from the ground and relentlessly chase Link.
2. Their Gloom damage drains max hearts, making them uniquely dangerous.
3. Defeating all five usually triggers a Phantom Ganon spawn.
4. Preparation: Cook Sunny meals (Sundelion-based) for Gloom heart restoration.
5. Bring Bomb Flower arrows (the most efficient weapon against Gloom Hands), at least fifteen to twenty arrows, and ideally a bow with multi-shot capability.
6. The Depths Armor with Gloom resistance is helpful.
7. Most importantly, identify elevated terrain before engaging — the entire strategy revolves around positioning.
8. Phase 1 — Elevation is Everything: Gloom Hands crawl along the ground and cannot reach elevated positions.
9. Find a rock, ruin, tree, or any raised platform and stand on it.
10. From elevation, rain down Bomb Flower arrows on the clustered hands.
11. Each hand has individual HP but they share a regeneration mechanic — if you destroy four hands but leave one alive, the destroyed hands regenerate after a few seconds.
12. You MUST destroy all five in rapid succession.
13. Bomb Flower arrows hitting the center of the cluster damage multiple hands simultaneously, making them the ideal weapon.
14. Phase 2 — Ground Engagement (if unavoidable): If no elevation is available, you must fight on the ground.
15. Sprint constantly — Gloom Hands move faster than walking speed but slower than sprinting speed.
16. Do not let them grab you.
17. A grab deals massive Gloom damage and is extremely difficult to escape (mash buttons rapidly).
18. Use hit-and-run tactics: sprint past the cluster, turn and fire a Bomb Flower arrow, keep sprinting.
19. Melee is extremely risky because it puts you in grab range of all five hands.
20. If you have Sage abilities, activate them — they can distract individual hands briefly.
21. Phase 3 — Phantom Ganon: After destroying all five hands, be prepared for Phantom Ganon to spawn immediately in the same location.
22. Do not celebrate and drop your guard.
23. Switch to melee weapons and Flurry Rush strategy for the Phantom Ganon follow-up fight.
24. If you are low on health or hearts from the Gloom Hands encounter, eat a Sunny meal between the kills.
25. Emergency Escape: If the fight goes badly, you can teleport to a Shrine or Skyview Tower to escape.
26. There is no shame in retreating from Gloom Hands — they are legitimately one of the hardest encounters in the game, especially in the Depths where elevation is scarce.

Rewards

• Dark Clump x5
• Gloom Spawn (rare)
• Phantom Ganon fight trigger

Related Bosses

• Flame Gleeok — Overworld Boss, Various (Eldin, Hyrule Field), HP 2,500, 4/5
• Frost Gleeok — Overworld Boss, Various (Hebra, Tabantha), HP 2,500, 4/5
• Thunder Gleeok — Overworld Boss, Various (Gerudo, Akkala), HP 2,500, 4/5
• King Gleeok — Overworld Boss, Depths / Rare Surface, HP 4,000, 5/5
• Flux Construct I — Overworld Boss, Sky Islands / Depths, HP 800, 2/5
• Flux Construct II — Overworld Boss, Sky Islands / Depths, HP 1,200, 3/5

Related Guides

• Weapons Database — Find the best weapons for every boss fight
• Temple Walkthroughs — Complete dungeon guides with boss prep
• Armor Sets — Best armor for boss resistances & defense
• Shrine Walkthroughs — All 152 shrine solutions for max hearts